Upgrading your family car
When it comes to buying a new car there are so many things to take into consideration. When it comes to upgrading for your new baby – there are a whole lot more!
Buying a family car
First – decide what you want. Make a short list of the cars you have seen on the road or cars that you have been recommended. Work out what style a car you want, a hatch-back, sedan, 4WD. Look at how large you need your car to be. I went from a small 2door 2WD to a large 4 door 4WD which had great storage, loads of leg room and most importantly, I didn’t have to bend down to put baby in and out of the car.
Second - set the budget. How much can you afford? Are you trading in? You may want to sell privately first, so keep that in mind when it comes to the timing of buying your car.
Third - research. The best resource is at your fingertips – go online and do some research on the car or cars you have chosen. Things to look out for are safety features, storage and compartments and comfort. Book yourself in for a test drive online.
Key features
The boot
Important to make sure you can fit your new pram in and out of the space and once the pram is in there, how much space are you left with for other bags such as groceries?
Child seat
Most cars will have 3-5 child seat anchorage points for the child seat to be installed securely. You can have your car seat professionally fitted at most hospitals and baby shops from $30.
It is vital that your child is in the correct child restraint for each and every car journey. Research shows that children travelling in correctly installed restraints are 70% less likely to be killed or seriously injured in the event of a crash.
Safety first
This is the most precious cargo you will ever carry around. Some safety features to think about are airbags, reverse parking sensors or camera, tyres, bull bars, brakes and child locks.
At the dealership
Remember that most dealerships are busy on weekends, so a weekday appointment could benefit you both.
Shop around … knowledge is power and the more research you have done, the better it will be when you negotiate.
Tip: if you are buying a used car, ask to see the log book for the service history.
Lastly, this is a large financial commitment – think how your family can grow with this car and don’t settle for something less than you want!
